Conobete railroad cross-tie



v raw 1. H. G. WOLF. CONCRETE RAILROAD cacss TIE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT-@1911. RENEWED FEB. 2,1915

1,195,634.. PatentdA11g.22,1916.

WITNESSES lNVENTOR witheconomy.

STATES PATENT on JULIUS H. G. WOLF, OF OAKLAND, CAI IFORNIA.

cononnrn RAILROAD cnoss-rrn;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULIUS H. G. WOLF, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the *countyof Alameda and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Concrete Railroad the following is a specification. p This invention relates to an improvement in composite railway cross ties and the means for securing the rails thereon.

.The expansion of the volume of railroad traffic, together with the greater trainweights and train-speeds upon modern railways have set up conditions that are making the road-beds as heretofore constructed inadequate for the heavier service. The present mode of construction thereof, having reference in particular to the wood cross ties or sleepers, cannot meet the new conditions As amaterial for making cross ties wood has ranked first with past conditions on the grounds of suitability, adaptability, and first cost. Owingto the lessening supply of hard-wood timber, and the fact that the heavier train-weights destroy the fibers of the wood even though decay is resisted by expensive treatment processes, the first, as Well as the ultimate, cost of the wood tie is growing prohibitive.

v In this invention the purpose is make a tie which shall have the form, the'qualities,

and the adaptability to service, of the wood tie, yet shall possess greater resistant properties, be cheaper inmaintenance fitlld llltlmate cost, and be of such nature and ofsuch design that its strength and form can be varied to meet the demands of any future 'railway traffic as heavier requirements are developed. g

Particular objects of the'invention are to produce a tie, (1) with which, by using a richer mixture for theconcrete, and the interposition of wire netting at, or near, the outer and inner concrete surfaces, there is obtained the protection necessary to resist disintegration, the common cause to date of failures of composite ties; (2-) which, by the use of vertical-shear. members in the reinforcing elements fulfils the conditions necessary to prevent center-cracking and disruption when the tie becomes'center-bound; (3) which, by the use of a suitable attachment device and cushioning that prevents the strains from theimposed train-weights coming in contact with the tie body, insures Specification of Letters Patent. Patgnted Aug, 22 .1916. "Application filed September 5, 1911, Serial No. 647,569. Renewed February 2, 1915. Serial No. 5,778.

waters through the trackxduring periods when high watersimpinge against the railroad embankment and threaten to wash it out; (6) which, from its form and weight,

can be handled and tamped like any ordinary wood-tie, and can without radical track-reconstruction work be individually inserted in tracks already constructed as the wood ties require renewal. These are features of the greatest practical importance.

Having thus described the objects of the, I inventlon, a practical embodiment thereof is represented in the accompanying drawing,

forming part of this specification, inwhich similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the tie; Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical section of one end thereof; and Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 3-3 of-Fig. 2.

In carrying out this invention there is 'em loyed a hollow body 1 of concrete, in

which is embedded a longitudinal reinforcement 2 consisting of Wire cloth or of expanded metal formed cross-sectionally in the shape of a closed polygon, and extending the-length of the tie, and bars 3,-which may be of any form, such as twisted steel, or deformed bars used ordinarily toobtain transversestrengthin reinforced concrete j The wire cloth or expanded construction. metal and the bars constitute the primary reinforcement for transverse strength; the

wire cloth or expanded metal have the addi tional function-of being likewise a reinforce- Inent against the disruption of the concrete. The concrete should preferably be made fairly rich in cement, and shouldbe dense in texture, to effect which result hydrated lime to the extent of 10% of the cement used, may be added'in proportioning the ingredients. To furnish other protection for vertical shear in addition to that provided by the vertical members of the wire cloth, vertical wire-inserts .18 may be added hetween-the vertical members of the wire cloth. To provide against initial checking or cracking of the concrete from the trainrattle, and the disintegration of the body re-.

tie-plate 10 may or may not be used in con-- sulting therefrom, there is embedded near the outer surface of the concrete a sheet of wire netting 5, which may be in the form of light diagonal netting, or the so-called chicken netting. This netting is likewise in the shape sectionally of a closed polygon so as to constitute an envelop. "vVhere the demands of traffic are particularly heavy and a tie of extra-resistant quality is demanded, another envelop 6 of wire netting is embedded within. the concrete mass near the inner surface. These netting envelops are not only resistant to incipient disintegration but also factors in affording the transverse strength of the tie.

The means for attachment of the rails is best shown in Fig. .2. The rail 7 is held to the tie'by means of screw-spikes 8 which pass through a wooden tie plate 9. A steel junction with the wooden tie-plate 9, but its use is preferable where heavy trafiic pre-. vails. Each screw-spike passes th-ropgh a hole 11 in the upper side of the concrete bodyfso as to be free from contact with said body, and into an anchoring device, which is here shown as a-bloclr preferably. of wood, which is inserte endwise within the hollow body of the tie. The rectangular hole 11 is of such dimensions as to permit lateral adjustment of the attaching device on curves to-accommodate the wider rail-gage at such points; this adjustment also accommodates'the rail-joint ties, making one uniformly cast tie serve either as a rail-joint tie or as an intermediate tie.

Through the. interposition of a cushion 13 of felt, sheet-rubber, orother yielding substance, between the block 12 and the 'concrete body 1, and a like cushion 14 between the tie-plate 9 and said body 1, the shock from passing train-weights is absorbed and .is prevented from reaching said body 1. With trains on curves, the train-thrust is transmitted through the tie-plate 9 to shoulders 15 formed in the concrete body. In

- practicethe height of the shoulder 15 may be as great as the depth of the wood cushion plate 9, and the slopes of the shoulder, instead ofcurvin sharply, can taper gradually to the outer end of the tie in the outward direction, and to the middle of the tie in the inward direction. These shoulders also resist the tendency of the rails to spread. The function of the block .12 is also to distribute the strains, incident to" holding the rail to the tie, over an area of 50 to 7 5 square inches instead of upon a few.

square inches as in rigid attaching devices. By this mode of attachment the concrete is subjected to no stra ns whatsoever excepting through the medium of substances of compressible fibers in' conjunction with spe cially provided cushions. The necessity for this elimination of strains, as a provision against the masonrys disruption, has incurrent practice for so np years past been demonstrated to beneces'sary in all lines of reinforced concrete construction.

The term open metalllc relnforcing material as used in the claims herewith is defined to mean any metallic material used in the art of reinforced concrete construction, such as for example the wire cloth of commerce (exemplified by the Clinton electrically welded wire cloth), or-expanded metal,

for the expanded wire-lath of commerce. ma-

a similar way in the aggregate.

The drawings and the description of the invention as herewith disclosed have reference particularly to its application to steam railway service. 1 I do not limit itsapplication to this service alone, but claim its adaptability, with possibly slight .modifications of the manner of attaching the rail to the"v tie, to'the tracks of urban and interurban electric and street car service as well.

- The design herewith disclosed allows of a construction in which the rail-attaching de vice is free from contact with, and independent of, the tie structure, thereby-keep ing the disrupting stresses produced by the train rattle andimpact blows from affecting the concrete mass of the tie. This freedom fromdirect contact with the interior steel construction likewise reduces the electrolytic action which may be induced between the exterior or superimposedsteel elements and the interior reinforcing steel. This condition, which is most important for a successful composite tie,.has not heretofore been obtained in composite tie construction.

sidered the preferred form of this invention, slight modifications, variations and al terations of structural details may be re sorted to without violatingthe principles involved therein, and the right is reserved to make slight changes within the scope of the invention as practice may show to be desirable. i

I am aware that it has been proposed to form a hollow concrete body with a'plurality of envelops of wire netting embedded therein, but such wire netting was used for reinforcing only, or as a skeleton for early ing plastering. Applicants Wire netting is 115 While the above constitutes what is con-- placed close to thesurface. the words closely adjacent in the claim, applicant I 'defines'thedistance of the wire envelop from longitudinal bars particular-l take the bending strains. 'T ese rods are the adjacent surface as'being much less than,

at least one half as small as, that between the two envelope. This netting in thisparticular'position in the concrete body 1s to prevent the initial cracking or checking of:

the concrete,-leading ultimately to the" disintegration of the concrete body. On the other hand applicants principal reinforcing member consistsof wire-cloth (as for instance, the Clinton electric welded wirecloth) or any open'metallic' reinforcement pIaced in a median zone of the concrete body, and in the anglesthereof are located adapted to essential part of the tie structure and extend the length of the tie. The wire-cloth is likewise a'very essential part of the'tie structure in taking care of the vertical shear ,strains .when the tie is loaded as a beam.

The wire-cloth and the reinforcing rods are independent in-both function and structure from the wire netting in, or contiguous to,

the concrete surfaces.

1. A railway cross tie comprising a hollow body, of concrete, having. polygonal outer and inner surfaces, polygonal-envelops of wirenetting embedded in said concrete closely adjacent respectively to said sur-.

' faces, a longitudinal open metallic reinforcement between said polygonal envelops, formed cross sectionally .in the shape of a closed polygon andextending the length of the tie, and longitudinal bars embedded in the concretewithin and" closely adjacent respectively to the inner angles of the open metallic reinforcement, and ea'chextending substantially the length of the tie.

2, A railway cross tie consisting of a tubular integral body of concrete having an upper inner surface of substantially uniform height the entire length of the tie, and an upper outer surface which is raised in the parts that are beneath the rail, an envelop of wire netting embedded in the c0ncrete closely adjacent to-the upper surface of the tie, bothin the main depressed portion and in its elevated part beneath the rail, 'an envelop of wire netting, embedded.

in the concrete closely adjacent to.the inner surface, a polygonal shell of open me-- tallic reinforcement embedded i longitudinally in said concrete, and longitudinal bars extending substantially the length of the tie and embedded in the concrete within, and

adjacent to, the angles of the shell.

3. A railway, tie consisting of a tubular integral body of concrete having an upper inner surface of substantially uniform height the entire length of the tie, and an upper outer surface which is raised in the, parts that are beneath the rails, said tie being formed on its upper surface with shoulders to'receive the thrust of the rail, and an envelop of wire netting embedded in the the parts that are beneath the rail, said tie being formed on its upper surface with shoulders to receivethe thrust of the rail, and an envelop of wire netting embedded in the concrete closely adjacent to the upper surface of the tie both at its main and depressed portion and in its elevated parts beneath the rail, and following the contour of the upper surfaces of'the shoulders, an

envelop of Wire netting embedded in the concrete closely adjacent to the inner surface of the tie, a polygonal shell of open metallic reinforcement embedded ,longitudinally in said concrete, and longitudinal bars extending substantially the length ofthe tie .and embedded in the concrete within, and

adjacent to, the angles of the shells. I V

A railway cross tie consisting of a tubular integral body of concrete and longi tudinal metallic reinforcement and wire' netting embedded therein, the upper outer surface of-the concrete adjacent to the rail-- seat being raised to form a shoulder, the

concrete having openings therethrough under the railseat to pass an attaching device for holding the rail to the tie independently of the tie structure. i

6. A railway cross tie consisting of a tubular integral body of concrete and longitudinal metallic reinforcement and wire netting embedded therein, the upper outer surface of the concrete adjoining the railseat being ra sed to form a shoulder, an anchoring device within the hollow body and adapted to be passed through an open end thereof,'the hollow body of the tie having openings above said device, and means se-' cured to .said device for holding the rail upon the tie.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto "set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' JULIUS H. o. WOLF.

Witnesses:

FRANeIs'M. WRIGHT, D. B. RICHARDS. 

